Jira CSV description, comma and new line problems - how to fix
CSV values containing commas or line breaks may need quoting. Excel may hide these issues until the import preview parses columns differently.
This is not official Atlassian documentation. Your Jira import wizard and project settings may behave differently. Always review Atlassian's current documentation and your Jira import preview before confirming an import.
Short explanation
Common cause: Description values contain commas but are not quoted.
Possible fix: Use a proper CSV export instead of manual copy-paste.
Common causes
- Description values contain commas but are not quoted.
- Multiline text is exported in a way the parser does not expect.
- The file uses a different separator than the import wizard expects.
- Quotes inside text are not escaped correctly.
How to fix it
- Use a proper CSV export instead of manual copy-paste.
- Quote text fields that contain commas or line breaks.
- Preview parsed columns before import.
- Consider simplifying multiline descriptions before importing.
What to check in Jira
- CSV delimiter selected in the import flow.
- Column preview after parsing.
- Description field mapping and text formatting.
Check your Jira configuration before importing. Field configuration, workflow, issue type scheme, permissions and import wizard behavior can change the result.
Example
Summary,Description
Login error,"Steps:
1. Open login
2. Enter password
Expected: user signs in"How to avoid this next time
- Parsed columns previewed
- Text fields quoted
- Delimiter checked
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